I have no desire to ever throw out a tenant but I dont know what were going to do, Toepel said. . Connect with services that can help with rental assistance, shelter, legal referrals, housing assistance, and more. 401 5th Ave., Suite 500 During the last two years, he has relied on gig work and, for a time, another restaurant job to make ends meet. 1655 North Fort Myer Drive Suite 700 Arlington, VA 22209. Ill have to get on that and just work as hard as possible, Rigdon said. In other parts of the country, a feared tsunami of evictions has largely not materialized, likely because of a combination of government assistance programs, court backlogs and people who move out without going to court. The Countys proclamation appears a signal to Governor Inslee that its OK to let the moratorium lapse. Tenants who dont go to court will be at more risk. Washington Administrative Code Announcing a final two-week extension of the eviction moratoria, Mayor Bruce Harrell issues directive to support vulnerable tenants and small landlords through $25 million in emergency assistance, online resources. Find information about your rights and how the eviction process works atwashingtonlawhelp.org. The resources are available, Snohomish and Pierce Countyhave been able to allocate the money and this is a failure of the current Executive, Nguyen said via email last month. KUOW - Pandemic updates: Covid cases waning in Seattle area Legislators, among other things, also expanded the program that attempts to resolve disputes between tenants and landlords before eviction. Tenants who have not yet applied for rent assistance can join United Ways waitlist atuwkc.org/renthelp. Seattle Councilmember Andrew Lewis was our guest April 11th. If there is an unexpected windfall and the county can provide money to everyone whos applied, it will reopen the portal to new applicants. Before the pandemic, between 30% and 50% of Washington tenants facing eviction defaulted, meaning they did not respond in court. But for landlords, the end of the moratorium comes as a relief. Watch the video. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. The extension also prevents eligible small businesses and nonprofits from incurring late fees, interest, or other charges due to late payment during the moratorium. The process from application to payment takes on average 57 days, Moore said. Theorder will alsomodifyadditional COVID-relatedreliefmeasuresrelated to utility assistance. In additiontodistribution ofall availableemergencyrentalassistance, trulyvulnerable tenants thosestillsufferingsignificantpandemic-related financial hardships will continue to haveenhanced evictionprotections,while at the same timesmall landlordshave needed clarity as they evaluatehow to move forward.. The moratorium created a situation where not only the savvy survive, where those waiting on rental assistance were also protected, he said. Building a database to manage King Countys $145 million (with more on the way) has contributed to the delay, Ellerbrook said. Due to unit staffing shortages coupled with the hazardous nature of the orders we're receiving, we need approximately 50 days to serve and enforce the writ. Additionally, please provide our office with all items listed on theWrit of Restitution Intake Sheet. Its a problem with dire consequences for tenants and landlords, even as Washingtons economy starts to rebound and most restrictions on businesses and social activities are set to end by June 30. Fees are payable in advance. Over 44,000 have children under 18 in the household. Free legal assistance to renters facing eviction in King County. In April 2020, Governor Jay Inslee amended Washington State's initial eviction moratorium to prohibit landlords from increasing rents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for over a year, tenants were protected from rent increases, as well as from many kinds of evictions. Additionally, there are instances where no notice is needed as part of the eviction process in Virginia. Due to limited funding remaining, the EPRAP program is no longer accepting new applications for rent assistance. Correction: This article has been updated with the correct amount of rent relief money King County has distributed since the start of the pandemic. Seattle Times staff reporter Joseph OSullivan covers state government and the Legislature. SDOT Director Greg Spotts was our guest on February 15. SeattleToday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced thatresidential andcommercialeviction moratoriawill expire at the end of the monthof February. According to United Way of King County, one of the countys partner organizations helping distribute rent relief, there are at least 3,000 Seattle households left in the eviction prevention applicant pool and about 2,000 of them are likely to receive help. The City continues to assess when to lift these individual suspensions as it relates to the COVID-19 emergency. This spring, she said she landed a job at Seattles Lumen Field mass vaccination site. Another says tenants can at any time raise a similar defense if they are being evicted for rent debt accrued during the civil emergency declared citywide and for six months after the emergency. Learn about Seattles ongoing eviction protections. 2 dead, 1 critically wounded in shooting at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Think Seattle-area property taxes are rising fast? Renting in Seattle - RentinginSeattle | seattle.gov All the conditions that made that true are still true. Currently, 21,761 tenants have been selected for service and referred to a caseworker to process their application. The governor also said that some indoor mask requirements would remain for unvaccinated people even after the state lifts most restrictions. They have protected vulnerable households and have prevented racial inequities from getting even worse. Seattle residents facing eviction are also afforded a right to legal counseland additionaleviction protectionsbased on time of year. For evictions because of rent owed during the pandemic, landlords must offer tenants a payment plan with monthly payments of no more than a third of the rent. 600 4th Ave, Seattle, WA, 7th Floor, Seattle, WA, 98104 While we face theunexpected rise of the Delta variant, thisnextextension will ensureevery level of governmentcan providerental assistanceand housing supportto tenants and landlords, which iscritical to stabilizing the community as we reopenand recover.. Earlier in February, Harrell announced a final two-week extension to push the moratorium's expiration date to the end of the month and directed the Office of Housing to distribute more than $25 million to support vulnerable renters and small landlords. Landlord and tenant advocates both agree that for any tenant facing eviction, communication and following the rules will be key. As part of thoseefforts, Mayor Harrellhas directedthe Office of Housing to urgently distribute over $25millionin identifiedfundingto supportrenters andsmall landlords,complementingfundingbeing allocated byKing County. Tenants who miss rent payments within six months of the civil emergency order (not the moratorium) ending are entitled to installment plans to repay their debt, under a 2020 council ordinance. About 2,200 households have received an average of $9,000 per household, said spokesperson Kari Moore. In King County, the King County Bar Associations. Last week, the moratorium expired, opening a new chapter: the return of payment-related eviction notices, new demand for financial and legal help and a test of new tenant protections meant to keep people housed. Over the past five weeks as both the County and local partners have conducted outreach efforts, nearly 10,000 new households have applied to the program, indicating that need in the community remains high, the Executives office wrote. New laws delay some evictions and provide renters a right to legal counsel. Landlords cant just tell you to get out and change the locks on your doors. Thats illegal, Simpson said. King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program - King County King County has created a new program to assist households economically impacted by the coronavirus due to illness, loss of income or unemployment who have been unable to meet rent obligations and are at risk for eviction. Everybodys kind of confused about what they can and cannot do, Simpson said. Please dont walk away now. Last fall, said Witter, his clients' average debt . Leo Flor, director of the county Department of Community and Human Services,worries that as the program winds down and funding runs out, King County might return to the old normal of evictions. 4430. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Rent is not canceled.. Tenant advocates praised the announcement, saying it will allow more time to set up programs, distribute rent assistance and educate landlords and tenants. If the County continues to distribute ~$6M per week, they still have 15 weeks before that money is out the door. Detectives will serve the tenant or post a residence with a writ of restitution or court order. The County then contracted out with a third party vendor, Grantcare to create the database, and Grantcare was late in delivering the project. I have a hard time seeing them as fully operational.. Officials around the nation are seeing a slowdown in people starting the vaccination process, Shah said, adding: That is something that we are concerned about in the public health community.. Washington's statewide eviction moratorium expires on June 30, leaving a large number of low-income and vulnerable residents at risk of eviction, even as they struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Example video title will go here for this video. HJP received assurances the County would go back and double check for erroneous rejections, which could be why the rate is so high. Last week, Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant introduced legislation to extend the moratorium until the pandemic was over, but it failed to pass. If your landlord issues you an eviction notice, Housing Justice Project will provide you free legal counsel. So just get a vaccination, Inslee added later. According to data from King County and Washington state departments of health, as of Monday, February 14, 2022: . Box 94749, Seattle, WA, 98124-4749 Warning of 'wave of evictions,' Sawant calls for extension of Seattle There is some hope that King County could get more rent relief money from the state and perhaps the federal government. 700 5th Ave, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA, 98124 The remaining funds, Velasco says, will be distributed by the end of March to Seattle households through the King County Eviction Prevention Rental Assistance Program that applied before Feb. 28. rdenes judiciales de restitucin, Click here for information regarding rental assistance, Click here for information regarding landlords and tentants, Click here for information regarding King County Bar Association lawyer referrals, Click here for information regarding Washington Law Help.org, Click here for information regarding the Housing Justice Project. We dont want to have success reopening our businesses, and then see a wave of homelessness, Inslee said in a news conference on states response to the pandemic. Despite the resources offered by the city, Tram Tran-Larson, the community engagement manager with the Housing Justice Project, believes the end of the eviction moratorium may lead to tens of thousands of evictions.